Goddess Budding
by sesshy-stalker-kendra
Summary: When the Goddess of the Zodiac awakens...how will her soulmate Akito react to her return? Will Yuki be able to face the fact that the girl he loves might be taken from him...forever?
1. A Yuki Incident and Two New House Guests

Goddess Budding

Her smile seemed to brighten his day, even on a rainy one. Shigure Souma sat, his paintbrush poised over a small round-ish oval piece of clay that had stripes of black on its top. He was watching his housekeeper, Sorata Otonaka paint with careful precision, the Rat Zodiac ornament for the front step. Her heather gray eyes looked so serious, it was almost comical and Shigure had to repress a laugh.

"Oh Sora-chan! You look so cute when you are trying to be serious!" Shigure laughed, nearly dropping the Tiger Zodiac ornament he was working on.

Sora's face flushed a light pink and she giggled a bit.

"Oh Shii-chan! Don' tease me so!" she reprimanded lightly.

Shigure patted her head and continued to paint his decoration.  
"You get a kick out of it, dear." Shigure replied, finishing his Tiger and starting in on the Rooster.

Sora made a little face at Shigure and put down her own adornment to start the Dog one.

"Shigure-sama? Where is Souma-kun? Shouldn't he be getting ready for school soon?" Sora asked.

"Hmm...Yes...but her had things to do for the Council this morning, so he went early." Shigure answered.

Sora looked a little sad, but nodded anyways.  
"Oh...I thought so..." Sora murmured, putting her half-done Dog decoration down.

Shigure looked at Sora calculatingly and smiled mischievously.  
Hmm...someone likes our Yun-Chan eh? Shigure thought to himself.  
Not two minutes later, a young girl, about Sora's age with long black hair that was up in pigtails and ruby-red eyes. She was wearing a frazzled and slightly terrified look and was carrying what looked like a Kaibara boy's school uniform and sitting up on her right shoulder, looking a little uncomfortable, was Yuki Souma...in his _rat_ form; both were soaking wet.

"! Oh-no! Souma-kun? What happened?" Sora gaped jumping up to her feet.

"An accident..." murmured the young girl who was acting as his taxi.

"Oh! Who are you?" Shigure asked the girl kindly.

"...L-Lifang Tachibana..." she replied nervously.

"Hmm...What exactly happened Tachibana-san?" Shigure continued.

"Well...I was running to catch my bus. You see I was trying to hitch a ride to the other side of Tokyo since yesterday and I really didn't want to miss it again. I didn't see Souma-san in front of me until it was too late and I had already run into him. There was a puff of smoke and when the smoke cleared all I saw was a pile of clothes and a little r-r-r-r-rat sitting in the middle of them. He told me to bring him here and then...well..h-here I am.." Li replied nervously.

Shigure nodded sagely and looked at the little rat who jumped off of Li's shoulder than onto the porch rail, before alighting on the porch itself.

"I'm going to assume that you haven't-" but Shigure was cut off when Yuki was enveloped in a puff of white smoke and after a bit of coughing and hacking, it cleared...to reveal Yuki in nothing but his birthday suit.

All at once, both Sora and Li flew at the nearest wall squealing "Eek! Eek!"

Shigure dissolved into gales of hysterical laughter at this show of female embarrassment. Yuki turned red and quickly put his uniform back on.

"Sorry, sorry..." Yuki muttered softly, tying his tie on awkwardly.  
Sora peeked back over at Yuki and walked over to him laughing.

"Souma-kun! Who taught you to tie ties like that?" She exclaimed lightly.

Yuki turned a bright red and chuckled a bit.

"Eheh...I was never really good at this sort of thing." Yuki answered giving Sora a soft smile.

Sora smiled and fixed Yuki's tie.

"There! All fixed now!" Sora grinned.

Yuki chuckled a bit and ruffled Sora's long dark teal hair before turning back to look at Shigure.  
"What do we do about Miss Tachibana?" Yuki asked, suddenly serious.

Shigure watched Lifang for a moment, sort of sizing her up before looking at Yuki.

"We will have to tell Akito and go from there..." Shigure replied lowly.

Li suddenly became alarmed.

"A-A-Akito? Who is that? His he your hit man? ARE YOU PEOPLE GOING TO KILL ME?" She squealed diving behind the now wide-eyed Sora.  
Shigure had to fight to keep from becoming hysterical again, Yuki looked at Li like she was a bit insane and Sora looked over at the breathless Shigure.

"Good question...who is Akito-san?...He...he sounds very familiar to me..." Sora murmured.  
Shigure regained his breath and looked at Sora. For a moment he looked terrified, but soon it was wiped from his face.  
"Eh...he's the head of our house hold..." Shigure replied airily, "We have to run these types of things by him...just to see what he wants to do about a situation." he added.

Sora nodded some and smiled, then turning to the still frazzled Lifang.

"I hope you can stay. As much as I like living with Souma-kun, Shii-niisan and Neko-baka, a little womanly company would do me some good." she said cheerfully.

Li nodded cautiously.

"O-Okay..." she muttered softly, blinking her cherry eyes at Sora.

Sora then turned back to look at the two men.

"What should I do with her until then?" she asked.

"...Hmmm...why not but her in the room next to yours? I'm sure, even if Akito doesn't want her here and erases-! uh..._raises_ hell at the Main House, we can let her stay here until she can find a more hm..._permanent_ place to stay." Shigure grinned.

"...Oh! Okay then. Come on Tachibana-chan!" Sora said grabbing a hold of Li's wrist and dragging her upstairs.

Yuki turned his deep violet eyes to lock with Shigure's gray ones.  
"Do you think Akito will let her stay?...Or...will he make Haa-san forget...like those children?" He questioned gravely.

"I don't know Yuki...I just hope that he will at the very least _consider_ it before he blows up..." Shigure replied "...he's been so touchy lately.." he added.

Yuki looked away then.  
"Yes...isn't it close to the day of her accident...?" Yuki inquired.  
"Mmmhmm...it is it is..." Shigure answered.

"..._Wonderful.." _ Yuki sighed rubbing his temples.

Shigure looked over at Yuki and placed a hand on the youth's lean shoulder.

"Don't worry yourself Yuki-kun. Everything will fall into place, and we may just come out of it with a new housekeeper!" Shigure said animatedly. "She looks like a high school girl even!" he added depravedly.

Heatedly, Yuki shrugged Shigure's hand away.

"You lecherous old man..." he said crossly walking down the hall and up the stairs to his room.  
Shigure sighed a bit, the depraved smile still attached to his handsome features.

"...You have no idea Yuki-kun..." he chuckled.

Meanwhile upstairs, after Sora had given Li some of her own dry clothes, she began to show Li the room she would be staying in at least for a while if it came to that.

"If you don't like the coverlet on the bed I'll gladly change it for you Miss Tachibana-"

"Please please! Just call me Li!" Lifang squealed. "Sorry about that...it's just everyone calls me Li...You need not be so formal..." she added a little embarrassed for squealing so loud at Sora.

Sora blinked a bit, a little dazed after the sudden outburst, but snapped back quickly.

"EH EH? Oh that's alright! I'm always like that. It's my fault really!" Sora replied frantically.  
"No no no no no! Please don't blame yourself!" Li gasped. "And this coverlet is perfectly fine! I love it!"  
Hearing all of the squealing nearby, Yuki exited his room and went to Li's room; peeking inside. He saw Sora and Li sitting on their knees facing each other and looking frazzled, both apologizing for their mistakes, and then apologizing for talking over the other, at the same time, thus resulting in more apologizing for the same thing over and over and OVER again.  
Oppressing a laugh on the verge of emergence, Yuki stepped into the room, making the two girls start and look up at him innocently.  
Yuki looked between to two pairs of eyes; one pair the color of one's life's blood, and the other the color of stormy clouds, threatening to rain. He smiled softly at the two.

"Calm down girls." he laughed.

"AHHHHHHH!" Li squealed, "It's the Rat Boy!"

Yuki's violet orbs widen for a second and he sighed, shaking his head.

"Oi...Please...just call me Yuki..." he said uncomfortably.  
"How do you like your room?" he asked obviously changing the subject.  
"Eh? I l-love it Souma-san! Domo arigato gozaimasu!" she said anxiously, jumping up and bowing respectfully.

Yuki shook his head slightly and looked at Sora.

"We're late for school-ACHOO!" Yuki was interrupted when he sneezed violently, falling onto his ass due to the force of the sneeze.

"Oh Souma-kun! Are you alright!" Sora gasped darting over to him.

"Yes...I think so...just a-...a...ACHOO!" Once again Yuki sneezed violently, falling this time head first into Sora's chest.  
Sora gasped and turned bright red. Yuki sat there, frozen from sheer shock.

"...Oh my god..." he whispered.

Just then Shigure came into the room looking around confused.  
"Did somebody sneeze or was that the sound of an oncoming hurri...cane..." Shigure's gray-brown eyes found the Yuki/Sora scene, with Li sitting wide-eyed in the back, her face also red.

"...And you call me a pervert Yuki-kun! You were just _waiting _to get both girls alone and have your fun! How could you Yuki! I thought you were a good boy! How frightful-"

Yuki, after removing his face from Sora's cleavage glared at Shigure, his face a bright, bright red.

"CAN IT SHIGURE!" he growled jumping up to his feet every ounce of him ready to rip Shigure a new one.

Sora, who had gotten over her shock, grabbed a hold of Yuki's shirt sleeve and turned him so that he was looking at her,

"Souma-kun? Are you alright do you have a fever?" she asked worriedly, placing one of her slender, cool hands on his hot forehead.

Shocked at this Yuki turned red, and his expression softened.  
Feeling that Yuki had a fever, Sora took her hand away and gave him a serious look.

"To bed Souma-kun! You need to get some rest if you expect your fever to recede!" she scolded.

Yuki nodded mutely at Sora his eyes still soft, a strange look had settled in them.

Slowly Yuki turned and left the room going down the hall to his own room. Shigure shook his head comically, before also taking his leave.

Li looked at Sora shaking her head.  
"This is a mad house..."

A little later, as Yuki sat in his room, stripped down and wearing nothing but his long black pajama bottoms, he put a hand to his forehead. Even though it had happened over an hour ago, the feeling of Sora's cool touch on his fever ravaged forehead, blissfully remained.

Over the next few days, Shigure was gone more and more often. And even when he was home, he told them nothing of what Akito had said, or _didn't _say. Two of the younger people in the Souma House lived in daily anxiety, worried mostly that Akito would arrive, as touchy as and active volcano. Sora on the other hand was blissfully ignorant of the threat Akito posed, therefore, she went on with going to school and tending to the house. Lifang also attended school with Sora and Yuki, Sora helped pay for Li's tuition out of her own pocket, but she didn't mind (despite Li's protests, she did it anyways).  
After a week had passed, Shigure came home one day with a bright smile on his usually unreadable face. Yuki, Li and Sora all stared at him when he cam into the dining room where they were eating a late breakfast that Saturday morning.

"Well?" Yuki asked impatiently. "What did he say?"  
"Hmm...He said...YES!" Shigure grinned happily sitting down at the table in-between Li and Sora.  
Sora gasped her heather gray orbs widening.

"Yay! Lifang-chan gets to stay!" she cried clapping her hands together excitedly.

Yuki breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank god. Akito-san does love to take his sweet time doesn't he, Shii-chan?" he asked, returning to his breakfast.

"Yes, yes...but with happiness comes a price Yun-chan." Shigure said gravely.

Yuki dropped his chopsticks, his violet eyes becoming hard like diamonds.  
"Oh...? And what is the price?" Yuki said cautiously.  
"..Kyo-kun will be moving in and staying with us...permanently." Shigure replied.

Suddenly and swiftly-and surprisingly without knocking the table over, Yuki stood up, glaring at Shigure; the perfect portrait of fury.

"Don't eat. Don't come near me. Never speak to me again." he said his voice perfectly calm, with the exception of the resonance of hostility in it.

"...I thought this might happen. And so that you don't kill me in my sleep as I know you've wanted to do in the past Yuki-kun, I will also tell you this..." Shigure said serenely, watching Yuki with a slightly worried eye.

"Oh?...And what is that?" Yuki replied dangerously.  
"Eheh...Kyo-kun will also be attending the same school as you three." Shigure concluded, a massive sweat drop on his forehead.

Sora and Li had been sitting there quietly watching as Shigure began to dig his own grave. Lifang looked at Shigure and then at Yuki.

"Why is this Kyo person being here bad, if I may ask?" Li braved, noticing the growing agitated tic in Yuki's forehead.

Yuki turned to look at Li, his eyes still burning angrily.

"Because he's a moron. He's loud, he's annoying, he's violent and he doesn't even DESERVE to be here!" Yuki said fiercely, turning his heated glare back to Shigure.

"...I wouldn't sleep tonight if I were you." Yuki ended, picking up his breakfast bowl and carrying it into the kitchen to wash it.

"...Trust me...I don't plan on doing so anytime soon." Shigure murmured, looking a little harassed.

Soon after Yuki had disappeared into the kitchen, a shattering sound was heard. Giving Li a worried look, Sora jumped up with her own bowl and darted into kitchen. When she entered the kitchen she saw Yuki standing with his back to her, his fists clenched, his head lowered. And on the linoleum in front of him, lay the devastated remains of his bowl.  
"I...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to break it Sora-chan...It slipped out of my hands...I...I'm sorry..." he whispered kneeling down and beginning to pick it up.  
"Oh no Souma-san! Don't pick it up with just your hands, you'll cut yourself!" Sora cried running over to him and taking a hold of his hands to prevent him from picking up the sharp pieces of porcelain.

Yuki looked at Sora, and she could tell that Kyo's coming greatly worried him.

"Souma-kun? What's wrong? I know you and Kyo hate each other but...usually you don't let him get to you...what has made that change now?" Sora asked sounding concerned.

Yuki shook his head and sat back on his knees.

"Akito had Kyo live apart from me here at Shigure's for a reason...now suddenly he wants him to move back?...I have a feeling that Akito-san is planning something...and it worries me..." Yuki replied placing a hand on his forehead.

Sora blinked at Yuki as she gathered pieces of broken bowl into her light grey skirt.  
"Don't worry too much Souma-senpai. Maybe Akito wants him to move in because he figures that you too need to make up your differences and move on with your lives." Sora answered.

"..I highly doubt that..." Yuki sighed.

"Hmm...I don't know what else to tell you Yuki-kun but I will say that you will just have to put up with-OUCH!" Sora yelped, cutting herself on a rather sharp piece of porcelain.

Yuki's eyes widened a bit and he blushed a soft red then in a sudden puff of smoke, Yuki reverted to his Rat form.

"Oh-no! Yuki-kun! What happened are you alright?" Sora gasped picking him up and away from the dangerous mess on the kitchen floor.

"Eh..I have n-no idea...a-are you alright?" Yuki asked, his blush intensifying.  
"Yes, I am fine thank you Yuki-kun. Are you sick again?" Sora asked placing him on her lap.

Yuki covered his tiny face with his tiny grey rat paws and shook his tiny head.

"I hope not." Yuki answered one deep lavender eye peeking up at her from between his little fingers.  
Sora smiled and picked him back up again and placed him on her shoulder, moving his clothes off of the floor and onto the kitchen counter, before grabbing a broom and sweeping up the remainder of the mess.

As she cleaned the floor, Yuki looked over at Sora. She was really a sweet and caring soul and he really liked her for that. He let out a little sigh and sat down on her shoulder looking around.

"It's strange how one's perspective of a room or the world becomes when one suddenly gets smaller." Yuki said casually.

Sora smiled at Yuki and nodded, dumping the contents of her dustpan into the garbage can.

"Very true. But I wouldn't know. I can't transform." she smiled in reply.

Yuki smiled a bit and looked back up at her.

"Sora-" he was cut off when in a puff of smoke, Yuki transformed back into his human form.

In an instant afterwards, Sora was on her back and the very slender and very naked Yuki was on top of her.

Sora was staring at Yuki a look of horror, mixed with embarrassment and curiosity on her face and in her eyes. Yuki's face was ablaze as he stared back. For a moment they lay there in a slightly uncomfortable silence. Yuki was holding himself up by his arms and was giving Sora a strange look. One that looked as if he wanted to say or do something. Then very slowly, Yuki lowered his head, as if to kiss Sora when Lifang came into the kitchen.

"Sora is Yuki...o...ka...OH MY GOD!" Li screamed seeing the two on the floor, one naked, the other fully clothed.

Immediately Yuki jumped to his feet, his arms out in front of him.

"Now wait Li-chan, let me explain-"

Li made the mistake of looking down and saw what God (in Heaven) had blessed him with. Instantaneously, Lifang flew to the nearest wall and clung to it screaming "EEK EEK EEK!"

Sora covered her eyes, as Yuki was now standing over her.

Yuki grabbed his clothes off of the counter and bolted out of the other kitchen door and up to his room.

No more than two minutes later did Shigure run in and look around. With Sora on the ground covering her eyes and Lifang clinging desperately to the kitchen wall, Shigure was going to assume that A naked Yuki incident had occurred. Shaking his head, he went to his office and sighed.  
"This house will become a circus when Kyon gets here..."

The next day, as the 4 sat at lunch, the front door burst open. Li and Sora turned there heads to look, and there stood a boy, about 5'7' with fire orange hair and reddish-brown eyes and wearing a rather ticked off expression. He looked at Li and raised an eyebrow.

"Another girl? Geez..." he muttered.  
"Ah...I thought it might be you Kyonkichi." Shigure snorted.

The boy glared at Shigure.  
"SHUT UP!" He yelled, dropping his duffle bag and clenching his fists.

"When you come home, must you be so loud, Stupid Cat-san?" Yuki asked sipping his tea.

Li blinked at the angry youth.

"Stupid cat...?" she blinked.

Shigure nodded.

"Yep...this rude little bastard is the Cat of the Chinese Zodiac, Kyo Souma."


	2. Of Chocolate, a kidnapping and onsens

Goddess Budding

(Chapter 2) Kyo glared at Shigure.

"Whatever. Can it you stupid mutt." he hissed picking up his bag again. "Where's my room? Is it still there or did you let this girl move into it?" He continued his reddish-brown gaze sliding over to look at Li once again.

Shigure shook his head.

"Calm down Kyon-Kyon. I converted my old library into Lifang's room. Your room is still here." the Dog Zodiac replied coolly although his long, LONG fused temper was slowly getting shorter.

Kyo rolled his eyes and stormed away, up the stairs and into his room.

"...And life goes straight to hell..." Yuki murmured rubbing his forehead.

Soon, the dreaded Valentine's Day arrived at Shigure's house and both Yuki and Kyo were apprehensive about attending school that day. On the way to school, Sora and Lifang made plans to make homemade chocolate for Yuki, Kyo, Shigure, Hatsuharu, Momiji and Hatori. And as soon as school went out, Sora and Li ran directly to the Super Market to buy the ingredients. As Sora and Li walked around the grocery store, with Sora carrying the basket, Li hesitated to talk to Sora about something that had been itching at her for a while.  
Sora noticed Li's uneasiness and she looked at her friend.  
"What troubles you Lichan-san?" She asked respectively.

Li started and looked back at Sora.

"Eh...oh...well...it's not really appropriate for me to ask but..." Li looked away embarrassed.

Sora blinked at Li as she dropped a few packages of baking chocolate into the basket.

"...Yes...?" Sora asked.  
"...Do you like Yun-chan?" Li asked bravely.  
Sora dropped a bag of powdered sugar and she looked at Li wide-eyed.  
"W-Why do you ask?" Sora inquired, picking up her fallen item.  
"Because...I see the way he looks at you...the way he acts around you...I think...that he at least likes _you_." Li replied getting a carton of milk.

Sora shook her head.

"I respect Souma-senpai...but I don't think he likes me like that..." Sora replied seriously as they made their way to the checkout line.

Li looked down at her hands and sighed. She really did think

that Sora liked Yuki and it saddened her to think that Sora might not like him after all.

Later when the girls were done and getting ready to give Yuki, Kyo and Shigure their chocolate, Li took a peek at Sora's chocolate. For Kyo Sora had made one that looked like sardine, thus was Sora attempt at humor where Kyo was concerned. For Shigure, she had made one that looked like a notepad and pen. But the one she made for Yuki was the one that confirmed her suspicions about Sora and Yuki. It was a little chocolate gray rat with violet eyes in side a chocolate heart. Sora had gone so far as to spray paint the rat part with gray-ish colored edible icing and purple colored edible icing.

Li smiled knowingly and took her own chocolate out to the three men. Kyo had just stared at his chocolate for a moment before resolutely taking a bite of it. Looking down at his cat shaped chocolate with surprise Kyo, without delay ate all of it...in one sitting. Li smiled and gave the other two her chocolate. Sora looked at her chocolate and turned red. She was really edgy about giving Yuki his chocolate and almost considered not giving it to him, when Yuki came into the kitchen.

"Oh! Hello Sora-chan...what are those?" he asked looking at the three lavender boxes that contained the Valentine's Day chocolates.  
"Um...Those are Valentine's Day chocolates..." Sora replied picking up the middle one and handing it to Yuki. "This is for you Yun-chan."  
Yuki looked in the box to see what she had made for him. He turned a little red and smiled at Sora.

"How cute Sora-chan. Thank you." he said putting the box back down on the counter, placing his hands on her shoulders and softly kissing her cheek.  
"I've been waiting for a chance to ask you this. And considering that I want to give you a return gift, this is a good time. I've wanted to go to the Sakura Tree Festival for a while now...and I don't really want to go alone..." Yuki said giving her a sensual smile.

Sora turned red and looked away for a moment.  
"You...don't want to?" Yuki asked curiously.

"EH? N-No of course I want to!" Sora replied frantically.

Yuki smiled, putting both hands on the counter top on either side of Sora, ultimately trapping her there and he touched the tip of his nose to hers.

"If you don't come along willingly...I'll **kidnap** you." He said softly. "So you'd better watch out."

Sora flushed such a deep red and she almost fainted.

"You're kidding r-right?" Sora asked.

Yuki slowly shook his head.

"No...I am dead serious. I will not hesitate to kidnap you dear Sora-chan." Yuki concluded picking up his box once again and walking away.  
Sora stood there still red. Shigure came in with his box of chocolate that he had received from Lifang and he blinked curiously at Sora.

"Eh? Sora are you okay?" he asked.

"...Yeah...I'm okay..." Sora answered faintly as she handed Shigure his chocolate and leaving Kyo's on the counter, Sora left the kitchen.

Eyebrow raised, Shigure watched as Sora left. He had just seen Yuki leave the kitchen not a minute before, and thus he put two and two together and smiled.

"Everything is falling into place." He said deviously, as he bit the tip off of the chocolate pencil.

A month later was a day called White Day, when boys who received chocolates from girls, gave gifts back to them. Li and Sora were both a little wary of Shigure. They didn't trust him to give them _decent_ gifts, hence their wariness. Haru had given both girls a necklace and matching bracelet each, Hatori was nervous about giving the girls anything, so he just gave them books (how like Haa-san no?). Momiji surprised the hell out of the girls when he told them that he was giving them _both_ a trip to the Souma owned onsen. Sora and Lifang were so ecstatic that they almost had to have CPR. Kyo couldn't decide what to give the girls, so he settled for actually going _with_ them to the onsen.

The group (a.k.a. Momiji, Sora, Yuki, Lifang and Kyo) all went by way of a charter bus, also Souma owned. Sora was so excited she was nearly bouncing off of the walls, the bus of course. Li was a little apprehensive about the trip. She was going to be stuck in a hot spring with three boys and her and Sora were going to be the only girls there, or so she thought.

After the bus had arrived and the driver told them that he would be back around noon the next day to pick them up, they entered the front door of the inn.

"Wow! What a pretty little inn!" Sora gasped looking around at the inn, hearts in her eyes.

"Oh yes, how pretty!" Li agreed also looking around.

"Oh I feel so spoiled!" Sora laughed taking Li's hands into her own. "I feel like a Princess!"

Li smiled at her best friend, clutching her hands tightly but gently.  
"I feel the same way!" Li squealed happily.

Kyo rolled his burgundy eyes at the two girls.

"Oy. Don't get so excited. It's just an onsen..." he muttered touchily.

Yuki contracted his violet orbs at Kyo and karate chopped him in the back of the neck.

"Silence, Stupid cat-san." he said dangerously as he walked by going into the main lobby.

Kyo in turn narrowed his eyes at the Rat Zodiac.  
"Yes, Your Royal Pain-In-The-Ass..." he muttered ill temperedly.

As soon as the rest of the group entered the lobby, a woman with long black hair done up in a bun, who looked ill and was wearing a kimono came around the corner, hanging onto it, almost as if for dear life.

"W-Welcome to my humble...inn..." she whispered as she gazed at the five who stood stock still in the middle of the inn's lobby.

"She's the concubine!" Momiji said cheerfully smiling at the woman.

"That's _concierge_ Momitchi." Yuki rectified the young Rabbit Zodiac gently.

Abruptly the woman moved away from the corner of the wall quickly and was suddenly in Sora and Lifang's faces.

"**MAKE YOURSELVES AT HOOOOOME!"**She shouted unexpectedly freaking the two girls out.

Li squealed and clung to Kyo tightly.

"Oh my god!" she cried.  
"**YES MA'AM!"** Sora wailed clinging to both Momiji and Yuki.

"Our concubine is in the Souma family too." Momiji explained as the woman led them down the halls to their group room. "Her body is weak so she lives here for medical reasons."

"Hmm...I see." Sora said nodding at Momiji's words.

Li, Yuki and Kyo were all looking around guardedly, as if expecting another violent hostess to jump there innocent group.

"Please forgive me young masters and young mistresses. I'm sorry for scaring you." said the hostess apologetically.

"It's okay..." said Sora looking at her kindheartedly. "Being so weak...this must be hard on you Okami-san."

"Ho, ho! That's not the case..." explained Okami. "Normally, there's someone else who acts as Okami in my place. I guide the delinquents, from the shadows, so to speak. But today since the young masters are here..."

Kyo looked at Okami, a slight sweat drop on his forehead.

"Basically that means that you aren't the Okami anymore." He said flatly.

"Uh...um, please don't push yourself." Li said kindly.

"Yes, yes! Your health is the most important thing." Sora added.

Okami gave the girls a slight, happy smile.

"My, my...what kind girls...thank you." she smiled. "I had hoped that Shigure-bocchan would come too." she added. "Is he busy with work?"  
"Shigure-bocchan? Isn't he too old to be called "young master"?" Li gasped.

"Oh...about that Okami-san. He has a deadline coming up." Yuki said looking at Okami.  
_Hmmm...I know she's a member of the Souma family... _Sora thought to herself as they continued down the hall. _But I wonder if Okami-san knows about the Chinese Zodiac...! Could she be a member of the **Zodiac** as well!_

"This way." said Okami. "Come, come. Your room awaits."  
When they entered the room, Sora and Li's eyes amplified.

"It's sooooo big!" Sora gasped looking around the large room that contained a few couches, a table, a bookcase and a ping-pong table.

"Sora-san, Lifang-san. Your room is next to the young masters..." said Okami softly turning to the young girls.

"Ah yes!" Li smiled.

Kyo's maroon eyes widened and then narrowed again.

"Don't tell me...I'm in the same room as that damn Yuki...?" Kyo sighed furiously.

"You get along as poorly as ever, I see." Okami-san laughed pleasantly. "Don't worry. You can separate the room with a screen."

"THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM!" Kyo growled fire lighting in his eyes, "In a classy place like this, I really shouldn't **have** to share a room with Yuki!"

Momiji walked over to Kyo and pointed up at him suspiciously.

"Kyo's just saying that...because he secretly wants to share a room with Lifang!" He said impishly.

"EH!"Kyo gasped, stunned.

Yuki looked at Kyo scornfully.

"Disgusting." he said pointedly.

"And YOU Yun-chan! YOU want to share a room with Sora!"

Sora and Li both looked at each other blankly.

"Um...ok...ay..." they said in unison.

Yuki turned pink and looked away, twitching slightly.

"Don't push me Momitchi-chan..."

Kyo looked fit to burst as he yelled,

"That's not what I meant! **MOMIJI DON'T SAY STUFF LIKE-**" Kyo was cut off when Okami went flying into another outburst like the one earlier.

"**KYO-CHAAAAAN! TO THINK THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO STAY IN A ROOM WITH A GIRL EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE THE CAT I BELIEVED THAT YOU WERE A GOOD BOY WHEN DID YOU BECOME SUCH A LASCIVIOUS CHILD? OH, HOW FRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHTFULLLLLLLLLLLLL!" **  
"YOU'RE THE FRIGHTFUL ONE!" Kyo screamed, startled.

"**I WILL APOLOGIZE ON YOUR BEHALF I WILL APOLOGIZE TO THE WHOLE WORLD I'M SORRY FOR HIS LASCIVIOUSNESSSSSSS!"**Okami shrieked holding Kyo up off of the floor by the front of his shirt.

"OHMYGOD! That's not what I meant! FINE I'LL BLOODY STAY WITH YUKI!" Kyo yelped helplessly.  
"...Is she really that weak?" Sora asked looking up at Yuki.

Yuki laughed a bit. "Yeah I guess."  
Later after Okami had left to let them get settled, Kyo plopped down in a chair.

"Aahhh...It's finally quiet." he sighed running a hand through his violently orange hair.  
"There's still time before dinner so—the bath! Let's Go!" Momiji said to Li and Sora putting a folded up towel on his head and dancing around.  
Li and Sora laughed and patted Momiji on the head.  
"Okay!" they said in unison.  
Yuki who was standing nearby Sora drinking tea and reading a pamphlet about the inn, gave Sora a soft grin.

"Yay! I have a great idea! **Let's go in together!**" Momiji continued giving the girls a big smile.

"Okay!" The girls said naively, still smiling at the hyper active Rabbit Zodiac.

Yuki and Kyo both froze in what they were doing and looked at Momiji. Kyo jumped off of his chair and gave Momiji a killer noogie.

"_You're _the most lascivious of all!" He said meanly.  
"Waaah! Whyyyy!" Momiji cried pitifully.

"Hey! Be nice to him Kyon-kun!" Li reprimanded, brandishing her small fist as if she would like nothing more than to bonk Kyo across the head.

Sora looked at the three (Momiji, Lifang and Kyo) frantically and emitted a nervously laugh.

"Uh, um, but...Momiji is still so small, I thought-" Sora was cut off by Kyo's perplexed yell of,

"NOW YOU'RE DEFENDING HIM!"

Yuki let out an irritated sigh and shook his head, looking away and he spotted a little bundle poking out of his overnight bag. Slowly he took it out and looked at it. He smiled and looked back over his shoulder at the temper tantrum that Momiji was throwing. His eyes widened at Momiji's crying and he blinked slowly a few times.

"Ho..." He said surprised.

"**_I'M GOING IN! I'M GOING IN!_**" Momiji cried flailing his little arms.  
Yuki watched this fro a moment before going over to Momiji and taking the younger boy's face in his hands gently.

"...Momiji!" He said firmly but kindly.  
Momiji's brown orbs looked up and fastened onto Yuki's purple ones.  
"Don't be so selfish." Yuki reprimanded quietly, "You didn't bring Tachibana-san and Otonaka-san here to bother them, did you?"  
Momiji looked down at his hands, before putting a finger to his lips, tears in his eyes.  
"...Nein..." Momiji admitted.  
Then suddenly his eyes brightened.

"Let's sleep together instead!" he giggled, giving the girls a big smile.

Sora and Li clapped their hands and giggled.  
Kyo and Yuki both looked at each other.

"...Why do I get the feeling that he didn't understand any of that?" Yuki asked.

"...Possibly because it's true...he doesn't get a thing..." Kyo answered.

A few minutes later, Sora and Lifang were out in the Girls Onsen, looking around in wonder.  
"Wow! This is amazing!" Li said unwrapping her fluffy warm towel from around her.  
"It is. This is my first open-air bath!" Sora exclaimed, also removing her towel and slipping into the hot, steam water.

"It almost seems like Momiji could swim in it!" Sora continued.

Li nodded also climbing in the water.  
"Oh my, my..." said a familiar voice from the onsen entry way.

Sora turned to see Okami-san wrapped in a towel, looking as if she herself were going for a dip.

"Okami-san!" Li exclaimed a happy/nervous tone in her voice.

"How is the water...?" Okami asked her voice faint.

"It's wonderful!" Sora exclaimed swimming over to the side and smiling up at Okami.

"They say this onsen is good for your health." Okami said slipping into the water in-between Sora and Li. "I soak in it several times a day."

"It is isn't it?" Sora smiled wading out a bit further.

"...I forgot to tell you girls this...but...my son is part of the Chinese Zodiac too. Like Yun-bocchan and the others...the spirit of the monkey possesses him." said Okami very softly.

"Oh!" Sora exclaimed as Li sat next to her wide-eyed.  
"When I first heard about you Lifang-san, to be honest...I was...uneasy..." Okami admitted, regret in her voice. "...That someone on the outside should know the family secret. I thought it might endanger my son and the others further."  
Sora and Li sat staring at Okami mouths slightly open.

"But now I apologize for feeling that way...I am relieved that...you are the one in the know...Li-san..." Okami added smiling at Li.  
Sora looked around a bit confused. Why wasn't Okami-san worried about Sora knowing? True, Sora had been living with Shigure, Yuki and (off and on) Kyo-kun, but...wasn't it cause for concern that _two _people knew that family secret? Because Sora was pondering over this, she didn't notice that Okami and Li were still having a conversation, until Okami flew off of the handle once again.

"**IM SORRRYYYYYY! FROM THE WORLD'S POINT OF VIEW HE'S LIKE THAT BUT HE'S VERY PRECIOUS TO ME DEEP DOWN HE'S VERY KIND HE'S MY ONLY CHILD I WILL APOLOGIZE FOR HIM I WILL APOLOGIZE TO THE WOOORRRLLLLLD!"**Okami screamed at the top of her lungs while in Li's face.

"**SORRY! I WON'T ASK ANYMORE!" **Li cried fearfully swimming away from Okami.  
And Sora couldn't help but laugh.

"What did you say to Okami-san to make her start yelling?" Sora asked later as she and Li sat in dark gray kimonos and drank tea.

"I-I only asked her what her son was like..." Li replied, looking a little harassed.

Sora smiled a bit and patted Li's hand.

"It's alright Li-chan." she said soothingly.  
Li smiled at Sora and then was suddenly dragged away to play ping-pong with Momiji. Sora laughed and stood up looking around for Yuki, but he was no where to be seen.

"Huh." Sora murmured looking around.

Then out of no where, something grabbed her around the waist, the other hand clasped over her mouth and she was dragged out of the room.


End file.
